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The pastel medium was first mentioned by Leonardo da Vinci in 1495. During the 18th century the medium became fashionable for portrait painting, using pastel as a mixed-media technique with gouache. The 19th-century French painter Edgar Degas was a most prolific user of pastel and is considered its champion.

Used by the masters Picasso, Degas and Delacroix for over a century, the Conte Crayon range is one of the finest pastel ranges available. Perfect for sketching or alternatively, black and white or colour work. The edges and ends cut into each crayon provide both the precision required for detailed line work and are also suitable for larger applications such as a coloured background.... more »

Used by the masters Picasso, Degas and Delacroix for over a century, the Conte Crayon range is one of the finest pastel ranges available. Perfect for sketching or alternatively, black and white or colour work. The edges and ends cut into each crayon provide both the precision required for detailed line work and are also suitable for larger applications such as a coloured background.... more »

Discover the collection of ART SPECTRUM® EXTRA SOFT SQUARE PASTELS. With over 50 years experience of making professional artists’ colours, Art Spectrum are proud to introduce a selection of pure pigment extra soft square pastels. Colours ranging from smouldering darks, to delicate veils of highlight colours, all exhibiting the rich velvety bloom loved by pastel artists. Experience soft creamy pastels that lay down smoothly and blend beautifully onto paper. The shape allows broad strokes for easy coverage and strong gestural marks and the ability to create fine detailed work.Feel confident that you are using professional artists’ materials made from the highest quality lightfast pigments which are triple-milled to bring out the intensity of each colour. Each single pastel is 13mm high x 16mm wide x 45mm long (1/2 inch high x 5/8 inch wide x 1 3/4 inch long).... more »

A pastel that's just right! They're tougher than traditional soft pastels, but maintain the same rich, creamy pigments needed for superior blending and shading. Artists of all expertise levels can benefit from these pastels.... more »

Unmatched in their softness and consistency, Schmincke soft pastels were created using the finest artist's pigments and a minimum of binders. The softness of the pastels permits a beautiful dense application, and the extremely high pigment concentration results in great color intensity.
Sticks are rich and buttery in texture. The pigments slide right off the stick without any crumbling or breaking. Schmincke Pastels are prepared by hand and by traditional machines, and also labeled by hand to help prevent breakage. Schmincke's generously sized full stick measures 2-5/8" long × 7/16" in diameter (67 mm × 11 mm).
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PanPastel Colors are genuine artists’ quality pastels, uniquely packed in a pan format; available in a range of 80 colors.PanPastel Colors were developed so that artists can easily lift, apply and control pastel color, just like true painting! The pan format holds the color like paint for easy application. Loaded with the highest quality artists’ pigments; PanPastel Colors are made using a unique manufacturing process requiring minimal binder and fillers, resulting in a rich, ultra soft and low dust formulation. All of these professional quality colors are highly pigmented, have excellent lightfastness and are fully erasable. Each pan contains 35%* more material than the average pastel stick. PanPastel Colors are fully compatible with traditional pastel sticks, pastel surfaces, conventional fixatives and other artist's colors.
*Average, based on a survey of leading brands.... more »

PanPastel Colors are the softest pastels in the world. They are genuine artists' quality pastels, uniquely packed in a pan format, so that artists can easily lift, apply and control pastel color, just like true painting. Each set contains a selection of Sofft Tools.... more »

Created for PanPastel applications and techniques, these applicators are reusable. Load the sponges with color and gently apply to the surface, varying pressure to change the effect. Use the edges for lines and details. Easy to clean for reuse.... more »

Neopastels are professional quality oil pastels with superb smoothness and blendability. These pastels are absolutely dustless.
They are made from permanent pigments that are equally suited to intense coloring, delicate shading, and subtle transition of hue. Individual pastels measure 62mm × 9mm.... more »

PITT artists' pastel pencils, with their oil-free pastel leads, are used by artists not only as the perfect complement to pastel crayons for elaborating fine details, but also on their own. Many artists who enjoy pastel techniques and their versatility, but not the dirty hands and coloured dust that accompany them, have opted to use these special pencils.
PITT pastel pencils have a very compact lead which is economical to use. The lead contains a high level of pigment, making the pencils ideally suited both to drawing lines and shading, as well as blending and merging into delicate colour transitions. The colour selection in this range places a particular emphasis on the muted shades and earth tones that are especially important for pastel drawing.... more »

Pastel Chalk Pencils have a smooth, blendable formula for use in traditional fine arts, scrapbooks or memory books. They're perfect for lettering, outlining, stripes, borders, shading, accents, embellishments, roughing and aging effects.
Pastel Chalk Pencils can be blended easily with a finger, paper stump, kneaded eraser, or tissue. For a dramatic effect, use them on a dark colored paper with a rough surface.
Each acid-free pencil is encased in cedar wood and tipped with General's extra soft vinyl eraser. Pencils are pre-sharpened.... more »

These German-made pencils are world famous for their quality, lightfast pigments. Their opaque, water-soluble colors blend beautifully and erase easily. The large-diameter lead can make broad strokes or be sharpened to a fine point for details and lettering.Draw with CarbOthello pencils as you would draw with a pastel stick. CarbOthello pencils can also be used like watercolor pencils — they respond instantly to a wet brush or pre-dampened paper. Pencils have semi-soft leads in a woodcased pencil form and are pre-sharpened.... more »

Gioconda Soft Pastel Pencils offer the smooth finish of conventional pastels without the mess. They are highly pigmented, with a buttery smooth feel, and have excellent blending and toning characteristics on dark or light surfaces. All colors are lightfast and fade resistant.
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Art Spectrum Colourfix Primer is a fine tooth, quick drying acrylic primer which bonds agressively to practically any clean, dry surface - all types of papers (300 gsm or heavier recommended), canvas, card, ply, plastic, glass, timber, ceramic and metal. Art Spectrum Colourfix Primer can be applied with brushes, sponges, rollers etc. straight from the pot. 20 colours are available, including Natural (Clear). All colours can be intermixed, or tinted with Art Spectrum Inks or Gouache, to create new shades. The Clear Colourfix Primer allows the natural surface or underlying colours to remain visible, whilst providing extra tooth for more overlays. Use Clear and other Art Spectrum Colourfix Primers for mixed media techniques and experimental art and craft works. It can even be used as an adhesive for collage. All colours are available in 250ml pots. Black, White and Clear are also available in 1 litre tubs. Colourfix Primer is a fine tooth surface for oil painting. Size the surface prio... more »

Strong and resilient, this 60% cotton French-made paper has two distinct surfaces: texture on one side (perfect for pastel and charcoal), and a smooth finish on the other (for detail work with pencil or ink).... more »

This naturally textured surface and 45% cotton content give it a classic, luxurious feel, whilst the combination of 35 sophisticated and fashionable colours make it the ideal choice for artists and crafters alike. Weighing in at a substantial 160gsm, Murano is perfect for fine art applications such as pastel, pencil or charcoal, and crafty creations such as card-making, memory-booking...or anything that takes your imagination.
Minimum order on this paper is five assorted sheets... more »

The most famous lightfast pastel paper in the world. In heavy weight with rough texture, these 60% cotton papers come in fifty breathtaking pulp-dyed colors that go all the way through. Acid free, they are also excellent for pencil, scrapbooking and papercraft.
Minimum order on this paper is five assorted sheets
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Used by the masters Picasso, Degas and Delacroix for over a century, the Conte Crayon range is one of the finest pastel ranges available. Perfect for sketching or alternatively, black and white or colour work. The edges and ends cut into each crayon provide both the precision required for detailed line work and are also suitable for larger applications such as a coloured background.... more »

Used by the masters Picasso, Degas and Delacroix for over a century, the Conte Crayon range is one of the finest pastel ranges available. Perfect for sketching or alternatively, black and white or colour work. The edges and ends cut into each crayon provide both the precision required for detailed line work and are also suitable for larger applications such as a coloured background.... more »

More abrasive than stumps, tortillons are excellent for rapid, thin blending on pencil, charcoal or pastel drawings. Comprised of rolled paper, these single-ended, spiral-wound tools are easily sharpened with a sandpaper block. Each package contains six tortillons.... more »

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